I hope you are all having a great weekend. I am very close to a deadline. Probably I won't be able to post for a few days but before that I thought I will show you a few new pretties which I enjoyed during last week. Clarins launched Ombre Matte Cream-to-Powder Eyeshadows together with a lovely natural cool toned quad I have reviewed for Fall 2014. Lately they have released a new shade to their latest blush line, Blush Prodige #08 Sweet Rose for their Spring 2015 look. Today I have the blush and two of the Ombre Mattes to share with you.

I would like to start with Clarins Ombre Matte #03 Taupe and #04 Rosewood. There are six shade in the line, you can find all of the six shades swatched here. At counters in Germany we only have four of the shades but other two can be ordered by Clarins online shop. Two of the shades I have tried are a mid-toned taupe brown, #03 Taupe and a mid-toned rose taupe, #04 Rosewood. These are rightfully called Cream-to-Powder Matte Eyeshadows. They are creamy to touch but after applied they appear close to a powder eye shadow, something along Chanel's cream blushes but the effect is stronger.

The pans are made of plastic but they don't look cheap. There is a generous 7 g / 0.2 Oz. product in each and they cost around 22€ / $24

Clarins Ombre Matte #03 Taupe and #04 Rosewood

Although they are called matte eye shadows, once applied they are not completely matte but they have a faint sheen. I would therefore define the finish as satin to matte. I really like that there is a slight sheen to them since a real matte can look very flat. The color pay-off is very good. I have tried matte cream eye shadows from Dior last year and I took them out just to touch and feel again how these two compare. I can safely say that these two shades from Clarins are much more pigmented than Dior Mirage. In case you have it, you know that Mirage has some transparency to it. Both #03 Taupe and #04 Rosewood are opaque, which I prefer.

Swatch: Clarins Ombre Matte #03 Taupe and #04 Rosewood

Clarins Ombre Mattes can be used as a base or on its own. Below I applied #04 Rosewood all over the lid and along the lower lash line and added a touch of MAC Braun on the outer edge. You see that although Rosewood swatches rose taupe, it applies close to mauve taupe on my eyes. I believe these eye shadows are especially flattering on mature eyelids since they smooth out the lines. The lasting powder was very impressive. I applied them over Nars Pro-prime. They were intact over 14 hours and counting, then I had to remove them to go to bed.

In-action: Clarins Ombre Matte #04 Rosewood

Clarins Blush Prodige #08 Sweet Rose is a part of their Spring Collection called Garden Escape but it is going to be permanent and be the 8th shade of the recently launched Blush Prodige Line. Blush Prodige's have satin to matte textures on most of their surfaces but they all have two stripes on the edges of different finish and color. The compact is made of plastic but has a metallic look. The brush included is synthetic but dense enough to work for the touch-ups on the go. Blush Prodige offers 7.5 g / 0.2 Oz. of product and costs around 34€ / $31.

Clarins Blush Prodige #08 Sweet Rose

What I am especially loving is the shade of #08 Sweet Rose. It is a medium warm rose shade with right amount of pink to make it work on natural to cool complexions while appearing warm on the cheeks so that it can be combined with warmer lip colors. The stripes are slightly warmer and more shimmery but no where frosty. If I want a little more glow, I swipe my brush on a larger area, if I want satin to matte finish, I use the lower right portion.

Close-up: Clarins Blush Prodige #08 Sweet Rose

Swatch: Clarins Blush Prodige #08 Sweet Rose

Below you can see me wearing Clarins Blush Prodige #08 Sweet Rose in combination with Ombre Matte #04 Rosewood and Tom Ford Blake. Here I have also used Ombre Matte to contour my cheeks, which worked surprisingly well. I have usually problem wearing warm or browny tones on my cheeks but Sweet Rose does a good job as a transition from a natural to cool eye shadow to a warm lipstick. Sweet Rose lasted around 7-8 hours on me before it started to fade.

FOTD with Clarins Blush Prodige #08 Sweet Rose and #04 Rosewood

You have seen the complete look at Tom Ford Traceless Perfecting Foundation post but here is once more for the sake of completeness. I always feel very bad about duplicating content but once a while I think I can do that.

Final thoughts: Clarins Ombre Mattes have a lovely texture, they smooth out the lines on my eyes and can be used as eye shadow base, eye shadow or even use them to contour the face such like I have done above. I am especially smitten by the texture and color of Clarins Blush Prodige #08 Sweet Rose to make warm lipsticks work on me.

Have you checked out any of these products? Do you like cream-to-powder textures?

The products in this post are provided free of charge for my consideration. I am not paid for this review, all opinions are honest and my own.

18 comments

That blush looks gorgeous on you! I love that you can apply it matte or shimmery

As for the eyeshadows... well, I am a cream eyeshadow lover, so when I saw them I got 5 of them (all but the pale pinky one)! I think it is curious though that you only get 4 of the shades at counters and that there is a price difference of almost 4 euros: mine costed around 18€, which surprised me as that is almost 2 euros cheaper than Mac's Paint Pots!

Strange happenings created by borders!

In any case, I love the colours they started their range with and I hope that they bring more colours to the range in the future

I like the rosewood color and use it together with Dolce&Gabana Nude 30 eyeshadow, which is also cream and matte, but is slightly lighter and rosier than two nude tones in this Clarins range (that's the reason). I don't use a base, just apply nude tone from D&G all over the lid with my fingers and then a minute later apply Clarins rosewood on the outer 2/3 of the eye. Blend with my fingers a bit. This is the fastest eye makeup that I do when I am in a rush or just have no time to think as it goes with everything, looks great and lasts forever.

I have the blush and I have worn it a few times. The texture is impressive! Glad to hear the cream to powder eyeshadows work so well! I'll have to see if there is a shade I like now. Good luck with the deadline!

hi sara!! of all the fall collections, this was the 1 that peaked my interest the most. i just loved the model's look for this collection. there is a gray shadow with a hint of sparkle that i'd like to try. i'm glad you reviewed this blush because i felt that tawny rose was very dark. my most favorite of this collection were the rouge eclat lipsticks. i have to say that i like these, in terms of formula, better than rouge coco shines. this is such a fabulous, polished look when you have 10 minutes on a very busy work week! thankyou so much for this awesome post! i have deadlines too, i hope your work week goes very well and fast!! xxoo.

I really thought your comment about the blush serving as a transition between cool eyes and warm lips to be insightful. Sometimes women forget that the designations warm and cool are frequently used as generalizations designed to help them pick a reliable spectrum of colors. That doesn't mean; however, that women can't mix it up as you've so successfully done. Look to nature and you'll see some of the most beautiful and evocative color combinations meld warm with cool. You look stunning, Sara!

Beautiful blush, especially Sara. I really like this pan design that allows you to customize the finish of the color. Other brands often have pan designs that make it impossible to pick up just one or the other shade. This is really nicely done and very pretty on you, too!

Oooh, I can't wait for that blush to come out. A Clarins SA told me it's not showing up in Canada until March?!?? You wear them well and the post reminded me how much I love Clarins makeup. Thanks for the link love as well! xo

Wow! Love the versatility of the Ombre Mattes!! I always forget that eyeshadow is a great option for conturing shades if you want a wider selection to choose from. Oh and that blush is beautiful on you!! Love it!

Matte cream shadows usually tug and pull my skin but these look quite smooth based on your swatches! Rosewood is such a nice and safe shade — totally right up my alley! Good luck with the deadline, Sara! <3